English word origin

Etymology of dote

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

verb

To be weakly or foolishly fond of somebody. · To act in a foolish manner; to be senile. · To rot, decay.

noun

A darling, a cutie. · An imbecile; a dotard. · Decay in a tree.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

The verb is derived from Middle English doten, from Middle Low German doten (“to be foolish”) or Middle Dutch doten (“to be silly”). Doublet of doit (Scottish English). The noun in the sense of "imbecile" is derived from Middle English dote (“simpleton”), itself from doten (see above). The noun in the sense of "darling" and "decay" is derived from the modern verb.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentiondotenenm
Derivation mentiondotengml · to be foolish
Derivation mentiondotendum · to be silly
Doublet mentiondoiten
Inherited-form mentiondoteenm

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    },
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    },
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    ],
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      "doten",
      "doten#Middle_Low_German"
    ],
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      "doten#Middle_Dutch"
    ],
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      "doit",
      "doit#English"
    ],
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      "dote#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "doten#Middle_English"
    ]
  ],
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      "glosses": [
        "To be weakly or foolishly fond of somebody.",
        "To act in a foolish manner; to be senile.",
        "To rot, decay."
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

Dowry.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English dote (“endowment”) (c. 1450), from Middle French dote (modern dot), from Latin dos.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentiondoteenm
Derivation mentiondotefrm
Derivation mentiondosla

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

verb

To endow, donate.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle French doter, Latin dōtāre.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentiondoterfrm
Derivation mentiondōtōla

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for dote →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-ZG90ZQ